F 355 OR F355 WITH F1 GEAR SHIFT

Can some tell me what i schould buy :question:
I am thinking about buying a 355 gts but don't know if I should buy the F1 gear shift. :x
Is it better to drive, reliable,fast and feels better than 6 speed?
Please owners of a 355 f1 respond
Kind regards 8)

I thought this topic would get more replies in the main section. I can tell you that the F355 F1 was the first generation of the F1 gear box. I would go with the gated shifter on an F355. This is just my opinion of course.

Allow me to contribute with my experience after owning a 355GTS F1 for 2 years (pictures in the garage section). On a side note, stay with the GTS concept, it's marvellous. Open air, full sound symphony, no soft top hassles. Driving the car with the top on (like a GTB) is a dull experience in comparison. Not sure why Ferrari gave up the concept.

Regarding the gearbox, the answer all depends on what you use the car for.
When driving, the box is really nice, smooth, dependable, and allows to focus all your attention on the steering. Upshifts are faster than you would achieve most of the time, downshifts while braking way quicker than a mortal can manage, unless you are king of heel and toe, and can keep the car straight (or even opposite lock) with one hand while braking hard.

I never use the sports mode, ridiculously brutal. I very seldom use the auto mode either, except when i let someone drive the car for the first time. In the driving section, the only slight criticism would be that the throttle blip when downshifting from 3rd to 2nd is a tad shy, but I am being picky.

Now here comes the downside: bumper to bumper trafic, constant stop and go's, manouvering to park in tight spots. Simply said, you don't have control on the clutch, and the car seldom seems to guess what you are about to do (a flying start or just move a few feet). Clumsy, clunky, my worst time in the car has been a long trafic jam on a uphill highway.

I have tried a M3 SMG2 and a Vanquish. They are clearly more refined, a bit smoother, downshift blips are perfect. The SMG2 in the sportiest setting can be blistering fast, but that's the kind of things you do with a dealer car, not with yours. The launch control system on the SMG2 is fun once, but I would never do that with my own car.
The 'double click' smart downshift of the Vanquish could prove more usefull in real life driving. Nonetheless, speaking with a SMG2 owner, trafic jams remain an awkward experience.

Now the question is: why not go for a gate and clutch ?
Never driven a manual 355, but I have driven several 550s. The gearbox is a special experience, you feel more ''connected", but driving real fast on windy roads is a humbling experience. Taking care of that stick is just the one thing you don't have time for in such a missile.
You can challenge yourself and deem the F1 box as a wimpy gadget, bottom line is that you're simply faster on a windy road with the wimpy gadget. I am not kidding myself, I am an everage driver, and I do better with a F1 box.
F1 cars have paddle shifters, rally cars have sequential shifters too, there is a reason.

The gearbox is a special experience, you feel more ''connected", but driving real fast on windy roads is a humbling experience. Taking care of that stick is just the one thing you don't have time for in such a missile.

...

Leisure drives, occasional drive ways, week-end or evening blasts, Grand Turismo in the full meaning of the word ? I don't think you will regret the F1 box.

Rather than taking others' advice, take a look at your own needs and wants. If you are not going to be in stop and go traffic and you enjoy shifting then the 6-speed is probably for you. On the other hand, I know people who just want to get in the car and drive. The connection with the car is not a big deal to them. For these people the F1 is better.

My experience (and this is just experience, not advice) is that shifting is always more fun. Once you know how to do it properly when driving quickly, it is an integral part of the experience. And if you feel you need a brush-up on your driving technique there's always Skip Barber! :-)

Most of my cars are stick and that's what I drive every day. I have tried the paddle/sequential shifters offered by several manufacturers and they all seem like toys to me; they are interesting for a few minutes but after that it's just a fancy automatic.

Final thought: the June issue of Forza gave the F1 tranny in the 575M a pretty bad review in which they said it "actually hinders the enjoyment of driving a Ferrari on the street." Given that this is the latest version of the F1 I don't imagine the one in the 355 is better.

"Get in the car and drive" ? Thought we were talking about a 355, not a Ford Taurus. Not sure there are that many people who are keen on spending 100K$ or more on an unpractical car with questionnable quality and reliability just to get in and drive.

If you leave practicality aside, driving is about pleasure, and pleasure is a personnal thing. As long as there is a smile at the end of the road, does not matter if it's with paddle shifters or with a stick.

I have driven a 328 gts '87 but there was the clutch pedal also realy firm, also not a pleasure in traffic. So I was told thats needs to be like that because of all the power in the car you need a stron clutch :question:
Thats why I thought it would be a good idea to buy a F1 box
Maybe some 355 gear shifters can log in and put me in knowledge about there experience and firmness of the clutch pedal.
Sure parking of the car is more complex with the F1 box, but how is traffic with the manual ha:
Thanks sofar, now I really don't know what to buy
Yes luxerior problems are also problems my banker said :P
Thats a relief! :green:

My own persoanl advise to you is...
drive one of each.
Drive the F1 then the gated.
Use your senses to let yourself know which one you would prefer.
I could preach all day about driving a gated trans and the joys of it, but then my wife could come right behind me and preach about the F1 box.
It's all a matter of who you are and what you like.
Sorry if that doen't answer your question, but I hope it does affect your decision.

Do you think God stays in Heaven because she is afraid of what she sees down here?

Owner and Operator of a 2000 Jeep Wrangler. A few mods here and there... but just you wait and see what I have in store for her...

Personally, I am sold to the GTS concept, but the pickiest might argue that it is neither a true convertible nor as rigid as a GTB.
The engine noise is way nicer with the top off, a huge difference, and the pleasure to drive in the sunshine is just great ... if you like sunshine and live in an appropriate region.
Bear in mind though that storing the roof behind the seats considerably shortens the leg room: if you are taller than 1m85, you might not be comfortable.

Back to 360 Spyder's point, driving both is good advice, but make sure you drive both in the situation you are actually going to use the car in. The F1 box may feel great on a countryside blast and turn out to be a total bore in daily traffic.